Chapter Five
Chapter Five
The buildings of Greensborough had only just disappeared in the tangle of trees and brush, but Trixie found herself missing the paved streets and roads already. It seemed as if every root and fallen branch went out of their way to snag her hooves and trip her up. Worse yet, the three she traveled with moved with such ease over the forest loam, that she felt a bit jealous.
As she watched the three ahead of her, she frowned softly. Wanderer, the self-proclaimed leader of the troupe, seemed too foalish to be taken seriously. He always smiled that lopsided smile of his and laughed at the most absurd of things. Even now, his wide smile told her that he wasn’t worried about the fact they were traveling through a forest that was known to be dangerous.
The pegasus wasn’t much better. While Tourmaline shared Wanderer’s enthusiasm, she was more aware or alert. Tourmaline hovered above them and frequently glanced about as they talked. She obviously knew she needed to stay alert for danger as well as keep an eye on the earth pony.
Trixie did notice that the pegasus would shoot her a glare when she thought Trixie wasn’t noticing. What those glares were about, she neither knew nor cared.
The trio’s unicorn was at least pleasant. Tormod was more sensible and the most helpful in obtaining the supplies they needed for their venture. He was mannerly and didn’t grate on her nerves with constant chatter—unlike the other two.
Even with the annoyances, she didn’t really question her decision to travel the Forest of the Oak with them. They offered her a chance to save her career, and that was worth all the annoyances and stubbed hooves.
“Are you doing all right back there, Trixie?” Wanderer asked as he ducked under a low-hanging branch.
As much as she wanted to, it was too early to start complaining. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is doing fine, though she finds her pack rather heavy.” All right, so that last bit got away from her.
Wanderer gave her an understanding nod. “I guess when you’re used to carrying everything in your wagon, I can see it.” He adjusted his hat, sunlight glinting off of the gemstone accents. “Don’t worry though, you’ll get used to it.”
She muttered to herself as she used her magic to resettle her bags more comfortably across her back. “Do you know how long it will take to reach the big tree?”
Wanderer’s shoulders rose in a shrug. “A couple of weeks if we’re lucky. As long as we don’t run into too many problems, we’ll be fine.”
“Speaking of—” Tormod interjected. “—Do you have a place in mind for our first campsite?”
The earth pony rubbed at his chin for a moment. “I hadn’t, actually. I figured we’d just camp wherever we find ourselves when night comes around.”
Trixie stared at him helplessly. How could anypony not have something like that planned?
Tormod’s exasperated sigh was much like her own. “Still, I think for today we shouldn’t push too hard. I know a place we can stop and get settled in without rushing to make camp when night rolls in.”
A smile dashed across Tourmaline’s face as she landed beside Wanderer. “The old lake?”
Tormod nodded. “The exact one.”
Wanderer’s grin was much the same as hers. “It would be perfect. We can grab some more cattails for the journey.”
Trixie felt her stomach churn. “Cattails? You actually eat those?”
The three looked at her in surprise. “You’ve never had cattails before?”
She shook her head firmly at Wanderer. “Those nasty looking plants that grow near the water? The Great and Powerful Trixie would never dare eat cattails. They’re not good for anypony.”
Tourmaline shook her head in disbelief. “You travel all across Equestria and you don’t know what wild plants you can eat? Don’t you forage?”
She turned her nose up. “Trixie forages… when she has too. She is successful enough that she doesn’t have to be reduced to such behavior.”
Tourmaline’s ears flattened as she glared at the unicorn, but Wanderer spoke up. “Well, we’ll have to show you. I’d be willing to bet you’d be pleasantly surprised.”
“We shall see.” Her ears flicked as a branch snapped in the distance. “So where is this lake? Trixie would like to get these heavy saddlebags off of her.”
Tormod looked around, sniffing the air for a moment. “The sooner we get to the lake, the sooner we can rest.”
“Which way, Tormod?” Tourmaline asked, adjusting her own saddlebags.
Wanderer gave her a mischievous smile. “Do you want to go look above the trees again for us?”
She glared at him, her tail swishing. “Do not remind me of that!”
“Hey, you survived didn’t you?” He nipped playfully at her.
She tilted her head away, but a faint blush crept up on her. “You were just waiting to turn that back at me, weren’t you?”
His wide grin was all the answer he gave.
Trixie shook her head. Didn’t they take anything seriously? “Tormod, which way to the lake? Trixie would like to get there sooner than later.”
Tormod closed his eyes and a red aura glowed around his horn. His head swayed to the side before the light flared, and he pointed off into the woods. “That way. To the northwest.”
She furrowed her brow. “How do you know it’s that way?”
“It’s a spell I discovered when I earned my cutie mark.” He glanced at the astrolabe that adorned his flank. “It allows me to locate any landmark or city I’ve been to or am knowledgeable about.”
“So he’s like a walking compass.” Wanderer smirked at his friend.
Tormod stamped a hoof, while his sister had a laugh at his expense “This ‘walking compass’ has pulled your tail out of trouble more times than I can effectively count.” He leveled his gaze at Wanderer. “Need I remind you of Van Hoover?”
Wanderer flinched. “Pull the punches, will you?”
Now it was his turn to be laughed at.
“Come on, let's go,” Tormod said as he turned and led them through the trees.
Trixie trotted up to walk beside him. “Could Trixie ask you to teach her about your spell? She could certainly use it for when she travels.”
He glanced at her for a moment. “Perhaps. I’ll consider it after our adventure,” he said carefully.
She nodded slowly. “Trixie understands. She wouldn’t share her secrets with just anypony.”
Tormod turned to regard her. “Perhaps tonight we can all share tales when we make camp. It would be a good opportunity for all of us to become better acquainted.”
Trixie nodded after a hesitant moment. “Trixie supposes it would be.”
Behind her, Tourmaline was glaring figurative holes in her back.
-0-
Later that evening, as they all set around the campfire, Trixie listened as the three shared tales of other adventures. She listened with some trepidation about their adventures near the very lake they had decided to camp beside.
“T-Timberwolves?” She looked around the night-enshrouded lake wide eyes.
Wanderer nodded easily, too easily for her liking. “Yeah. They chased us back towards town before they finally caught us.” He looked across the lake with a wistful smile as he listened to the bullfrogs sang their nightly chorus. “If it wasn’t for the tree spider, we wouldn’t be here today.”
She felt her blood run cold. “A tree spider?”
Tormod nodded slowly. “It’s not an actual tree spider, just a name we gave it because we don’t know what it actually is.” He rubbed at his chin. “We still don’t really know what it is.”
Tourmaline took a bite of her cattail leaf and Trixie couldn’t suppress a shudder. They had tried to get her to try one but she stubbornly refused. “We only saw it that once—well, twice—but never again when we went looking for it.”
“Wouldn’t that be something?” Wanderer said to his friends with a wide smile. “If we brought him back for everypony to see? That would definitely put our names in the history books and Trixie will have something to show for her show.”
Tourmaline gulped down the rest of her food. “We wouldn’t actually do that. Putting the tree spider on display for ponies to stare at just feels wrong.”
He nodded with a sigh. “No, we wouldn’t.”
“Aren’t you worried that the timberwolves might attack us out here?” Trixie again looked around biting at her lip. “Trixie does not want to end up a meal for a wooden wolf. It would do nothing for her show to be gobbled up.”
Tormod nodded, his ears flickering at the sound of a splash coming from the lake. “As long as we keep a strong campfire going, they won’t come near.” He levitated another branch to their already strong fire. “They fear fire more than anything.”
“That and we’ve fought with timberwolf packs before,” Tourmaline said, lifting her head up confidently before turning her gaze to Trixie. “You can fight though, right?”
Trixie turned her nose up at her. “Of course the Great and Powerful Trixie can defend herself. She wouldn’t have traveled alone if she couldn’t fend off thugs on the road or fanatical followers of her greatness.”
Wanderer gave Tourmaline a sly grin. “She’s got a point.”
Tourmaline flicked her ears at him and looked at the three tents that were erected, a fourth still waiting to be set up. “Did you need help setting up your tent, Trixie?”
She looked at the collection of poles and canvas with a frown. “Trixie will get it when she’s ready for sleep.”
Tourmaline rolled her eyes at her. “A word of advice: it’s best to have your tent set up when you arrive at your campsite. That way you’re not struggling with the poles when you’re tired.”
Trixie nodded after a moment’s thought. “That makes sense.” She got to her hooves. “Trixie will try.”
She approached the broken-down tent, her horn glowing pink. The poles and canvas levitated but hung in the air as she nervously bit her lower lip.
“You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” Tourmaline asked with more than a hint of snark.
Trixie turned an unappreciative glare her way, but Wanderer got to his hooves with a grunt. “Here, let me help you.”
Tourmaline looked at him quickly, but he either ignored her or completely missed it as he moved to help. After a quick instruction of what went where, he helped her set the rods of the tent in their places.
“All right, I’ll hold this end and you set the other,” he said as he planted the end of his pole into the ground. “Hold on tight though. If you let go, it will hurt.”
She nodded and used her magic to bend the rod further. She strained as the stubborn rod tried to escape her magical grasp.
“You almost got it. Keep it up,” he said, keeping a tight hold on his end of the pole.
Just as she was to set the rod, a noise from the forest caught her attention. “What was that?”
Her sudden reaction had Wanderer whirling to see what she saw. Letting go of the rod caused it sprung out and slap him sharply across the rump with an audible crack.
His sudden surprised yelp had his friends howling in laughter. They clutched at their sides as the earth pony jumped on the tips of his hooves, massaging at his rump.
“Ow! Ow! Oh sweet Celestia, that hurts!”
He earned no sympathy from his friends as they continued to laugh uncontrollably, tears of mirth streaming down their faces. Trixie, for her part, managed to keep from laughing too hard at his antics. The squirrel that had caused the distraction laughed so hard it fell out of the tree it had been sitting in.
With some effort, Tourmaline was finally able to speak. “Oh my, that was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.” She rubbed at her eyes to clear the remaining tears.
Wanderer finally stopped rubbing at his behind and glared at her. “Says you! I won’t be able to sit down for a week.” He groaned as he walked away with a pronounced limp.
This time, the other three had a good laugh at him.
Once his laughter had subsided, Tormod elbowed his sister. “Come on. Let’s help her so she’ll learn.”
She nodded and the two of them helped Trixie with her tent. In short order, the two of them had the tent up, giving Trixie pointers on how to do it on her own. Once that was done, she looked at Wanderer apologetically.
“Trixie is sorry. She didn’t mean for the pole to… well, do what it did.”
“Besides give me a worse switchin’ than what my mother ever gave me as a colt, it’s all right.” He lay on his side, trying his best to keep from sitting down. He frowned softly as she lowered her head at him. “Hey, don’t worry about it. Accidents happen, you know?”
She nodded at him, but Tourmaline spoke. “And they’re always hilarious when they happen to you.”
He gave her a scathing glare, his cheeks flushing again. “Shut up, Tourmaline.”
Again, Tormod, Tourmaline, and Trixie had a laugh at his expense.
After they had settled in, they talked for a few hours more before Trixie found her eyelids getting heavy. All the hiking was finally catching up to her. She gave a grand yawn before standing.
“Trixie will head to bed. She is tired from walking all day.”
Tormod nodded. “Probably a good idea for all of us.” He looked at the other two. “We should decide who gets what watch.”
“Now that there is four of us, the watches will be shorter and we can get more sleep,” Tourmaline said with a smile.
Wanderer looked at her with a faint, disapproving frown. “It’s her first night. We shouldn’t make her stand watch yet.”
“Actually, she should. So she gets used to our routine.” She gave him a challenging look. “We all have to carry our own weight, Wanderer.”
Tormod glanced at Trixie. “I have to agree. Better to get used to how we do things now than later.”
Trixie stared at them, simply unable to believe they talked like she wasn’t even there.
At least Wanderer had the decency to include her. “Trixie?”
She sighed inwardly, not liking the idea of having to wake up to watch over other ponies sleeping. Sleeping in as long as she wished was one of the things she loved about being alone.
“Trixie thinks it’s only fair that she pulls her own weight,” she grudgingly said past gritted teeth.
He nodded. “Right. I’ll take first watch and Trixie will take the last.”
Tourmaline glowered at him, her ears leveling in outrage. “Why do you get first watch?”
“Because you’re not the one with a sore rump, that’s why,” he countered. “It’s the least you could do after laughing at me and offering no sympathy what-so-ever.”
She held up a hoof to argue but whatever she was going to say died before it was spoken. She giggled to herself before nodding. “It was funny though.”
“Completely worth taking the second watch,” her brother agreed.
Her eyes widened and she scowled at her brother. “Hey! That’s not fair!”
-0-
She didn’t expect she would have fallen asleep as easily as she had. Despite not being in her comfy wagon and surrounded by ponies she wasn’t familiar with, when she laid her head on her pillow, she was asleep in nothing flat. It was one of those dreamless, restful sleeps that she was jarred out of when someone gently shook her shoulder.
With a startled gasp, she scurried away from the touch—the fur along her spine standing on end.
“Easy, easy. It’s just me, Tormod.” A soft red glow lit up from his horn to illuminate his face. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She let her anxiety out with a shaking breath, running a hoof through her mane. “Trixie apologizes. She is not used to ponies waking her up.”
He nodded and let the magic fade from his horn. “I understand. When we first started travelling it took weeks for me to adapt to the sleep pattern changes.” A wry smirk crossed his face. “Sometimes I still have trouble with it.”
“Trixie is not sure she wants to.” She rubbed at her sleep crusted eyes, and looked at him curiously. “Trixie thought you had taken the second watch?”
“I had, but I decided to play nice and let my sister take it. Otherwise, I’d never hear the end of it.” He stood straighter and headed for the tent’s exit. “I did stay up an hour longer in my watch. to let you sleep a little longer.”
She blinked in surprise and tilted her head at him. “Why would you do that for Trixie?”
“Because I knew how tired you were.” He rubbed at the back of his head. “And it seemed the nice thing to do.”
Trixie fished for the right words to say before finally muttering, “Trixie… thanks you for your consideration.”
He smiled at her. “You’re welcome.” He broke out into a wide yawn. “I’m going back to sleep. If you need anything or you see something, yell or get one of us. Also, it’s best to have your back to the fire, that way it doesn’t blind you.”
Standing on wobbly legs, she followed him out of the tent. The large campfire kept the whole campsite aglow in a warm light, and it seemed as if even the crickets and bullfrogs had fallen asleep with how quiet the forest was.
Then came the obnoxious sound of a pony snoring. She pressed her hooves against her ears as the atrocious sound assaulted her ear drums.
“Is he always so loud?” she asked Tormod, glaring at the tent where Wanderer slept soundly.
Tormod sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Not always. It is something else you’ll get used to… eventually.” He looked back at her. “Trust me, it isn’t the worst I’ve heard somepony snore.”
She gave him a disbelieving stare. “There’s worse?”
“A lot worse.” He shuddered and walked for his tent. The tent flap glowed with a red aura and lifted for him. “Goodnight,” he said to her before crawling inside, the tent flap settling in place once again.
She bid him goodnight before finding a comfortable spot to sit and watch the forest. As she sat, her gaze drifted towards the moon as it reflected off the nearby lake. A slow smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she stared at the one companion she was used to. For some reason, looking at the moon made her feel at ease, as if all was right with the world.
Despite all of her misgivings, she felt she had made the right choice in following the three on this adventure. Sure there were already parts she didn’t like—the sore hooves and lack of sleep being chief among them—but to not have gone with them would have been the same as admitting defeat. Trixie never admitted defeat. Even if they never made it to the Mother Oak, it was worth the chance to save her career. She even allowed herself to imagine what the Mother Oak would look like up close and what sort of story she would conjure for her act.
So engrossed with her fantasies, she didn’t feel her eyelids slip shut until she had drifted off to sleep.
-0-
The nightmare that had plagued her for months once again reared its ugly head. Something was different though: this time she found herself in the forest alone. She looked around wildly for any sign of the three adventurers, but there was nothing. She was truly alone except for the occasional chirp of a bird and the gentle rustling of the leaves by the breeze.
The wind sent a shiver up her spine, and her fur stood on end. The feeling of something watching her weighed down on her like the many stones of a rock farm.
She looked aroun again before her voice squeaked out, “H-Hello? Is anypony there?”
Silence was the only answer.
“W-Whoever is there, Trixie does not like being spied upon!”
When no answer came, she started making her way through the forest. Leave rustled and twigs snapped under hoof, each snap causing her to jump. Her eyes darted around for the elusive watcher.
Trixie
She jumped and whirled, her horn glowing. “Whoever you are, stop playing games with me!” Sweat rolled down the side of her face as she looked around.
Trixie
“I-I mean it!” Her voice cracked as she took a fearful step back. She felt something bump against her flank and she whirled with a scream, blasting at what had touched her.
A nervous laugh escaped her as the innocent tree now sported a scorch mark.
You have made your first choice.
She whirled again as the voice sounded behind her, but all she saw was more empty forest. “Please, leave me alone.” She hunkered down as the voice weighed in all around her.
The path is now before you. What direction you take is your own choice to make.
“P-Please…” Tears rolled down her face.
There will come a time when your choice will affect us all. The lives of so many will be in your hooves.
Unable to find her voice, sobs were all that escaped her.
You must choose!
She couldn’t.
Wake up!
Her eyes snapped open and she gasped. The sun had only just cleared the tops of the trees around the clearing. She wiped at her face to clear the sweat and tears. The echo of the final shout still rang in her ears. Again that horrible dream haunted her. Why was something wanting her to make a choice about something she knew nothing about? Why had Princess Luna not come to help her with her nightmares like she was supposed to?
She grabbed at her mane in frustration. “Why does Trixie keep having these nightmares?” She huffed. “Perhaps she should write to Princess Luna about her dreams, maybe then she’ll finally see them stopped.”
“Hey, you all right?”
She started at the voice and saw Wanderer holding his hooves up to calm her. “Easy, easy. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
Trixie ran a hoof through her mane, letting out shuddering breath. “Trixie is fine. She didn’t hear you wake up.”
He nodded at her, his gaze sweeping over their campsite. “It’s a lot to get used to. I fell asleep on my first watch too, long ago.”
She sucked in a breath. “Trixie didn’t fall asle…” her protest died at his knowing smile. “All right, Trixie did fall asleep.” Her ears leveled.
“Happens to the best of us.” He motioned to the lake. “I’m gonna get a drink, want to join me?”
She looked at the lake, the morning light reflecting off the water. “Is it safe to drink?”
A wry grin crossed his face. “As safe as water from a bottle.”
An unconvinced frown crossed her face, but she followed him towards the shore. If anything, she could wash her face of the nightmare’s remnants.
A few birds chirped and the cattails swayed in the breeze as the two stood by the lake. Wanderer wasted no time in plunging his muzzle into the lake, slurping up mouthfuls of the crystal-clear water.
When he finished, he sat back with a sigh of contentment. “Ahh… Nothing like good, clean water.”
Trixie watched him for a moment before giving the water a tasting slurp. It tasted like normal water to her, but realized how thirsty she was and drank her full. Once she had finished, she started to wash her face, shivering as the cool water soaked past her fur.
Wanderer watched her clean up after he cut a pair of cattail leaves for them. When he offered her the second leaf, she looked at it in revulsion until her stomach gave a loud growl. Muttering at the rogue organ, she took the leaf in her magic and took a hesitant bite.
Her eyes widened and she blinked. “These are… surprisingly good,” she said as she took another bite.
A grin grew across his muzzle. “You never know until you try, right?”
Another bite preceded a distracted nod. “Trixie supposes.”
He swallowed the last of his leaf before speaking. “That must have been some dream you had.”
Her gaze darted to him. “You heard Trixie?”
He nodded, placing his hat on his head. “The way you were muttering and turning in your sleep, it had to have been bad.” He tilted his head at her. “What were you dreaming about?”
Her mane swayed as she shook her head. “Trixie doesn’t remember. She just… has had them for a while now.”
A soft frown crossed his face. “You’ve had them for a while? And Princess Luna hasn’t tried to help you?”
“No, she hasn’t.” She sat down by the lake as she gaze drifted to the sky. “Trixie’s been having nightmares ever since Tyranny attacked her.”
She didn’t hear his breath catch nor see him stiffen as still as stone. “He attacked you?”
Her gaze lowered and she nodded. “He did. Het sent her to that awful Realm of Shadows, or so Trixie was told long ago.” She looked back at him. “I don’t remember actually being there. Trixie felt like she was sleeping the whole time…”
Her voice faded away as she noticed his stricken gaze reflected on the lake surface. “Wanderer?”
When he didn’t respond, she hesitantly touched his shoulder. His sudden flinch startled her more than she thought it would.
“Wanderer? Are you all right?”
He kept his gaze averted. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
His sudden change in demeanor told her he was lying. “Wanderer… did Tyranny attack you too?”
He stood abruptly and turned for the camp, still not looking at her fully. “I’m gonna get breakfast started for everypony.”
She watched him go in stunned silence before he paused.
“... I’m sorry, Trixie.” His voice was so soft she almost hadn’t heard him.
She furrowed her brow. “What do you have to be sorry to Trixie about?”
The earth pony still refused to look at her. “I’m just… sorry.” He kept going and left a speechless Trixie behind.
-0-
The following days provided little chance for her to ask him about his actions at the lake. Each time she thought she had him, he diverted the question and brought something else up. After a while, she gave up trying to get him to talk—realized that he was only going to talk about it when he felt ready.
As she traveled with them, she came to realize just how close the three were. Tormod continued to help her whenever he could, helping her pitch her tent or letting her sleep in a bit when it was her turn to watch at night. Her ears flicked whenever she considered it. It wasn’t like the adoration of a fan; it was something else she wasn’t entirely sure about.
His sister, Tourmaline, on the other hoof, threw sarcasm at her every chance she got. While she wasn’t overtly hostile, Trixie knew the pegasus wasn’t fond of her. Why that was, she didn’t know, but she avoided her as best as she could.
Trixie walked quietly beside Tormod as the other two retold of an adventure they had shared in Appleloosa. She only half listened as she watched the forest around her. Occasionally, the sunlight would pierce through the canopy above, and Trixie smiled whenever the light warmed her fur.
“You should have seen the rustlers’ expressions before the cattle trampled them into the dirt.” A wide smile crossed Wanderer’s face. “It took me a while to stop laughing long enough to tie them up.”
“And while you were laughing your flank off, Tourmaline and I had to chase down the cows to get them to turn for town,” Tormod said as he stepped over a fallen tree. “Do you know how hard it was to get them to calm down?”
Wanderer snorted. “You managed it, didn’t you?”
“With no help from you.” Tormod swished his tail, unwittingly brushing against Trixie’s side. He gave her an apologetic glance. “Sorry.”
She nodded slowly while Wanderer waved him away. “I knew you guys could handle it. Besides, somepony had to tie the rustlers up.”
The siblings shared a glance and Tourmaline nodded to her brother. She swooped down and nabbed Wanderer’s hat from him before he could blink.
“Give me back my hat, Tourmaline,” he grumbled as he made a jump for it.
She pulled the hat out of his reach at the last second and sat it on her head. “Why would I do that? I think it looks good on me.”
“Gimme back my hat!” He leaped higher for it, but she easily put herself out of reach with just a flap of her wings.
“You didn’t say the magic word.” She smiled impishly at him.
The word he chose to use was one Trixie didn’t dare repeat.
Tourmaline laughed at him. “That wasn’t very nice. Did you really just call your marefriend something like that?”
“Gimme back my hat!”
“Only if you can catch me.” She took off with the stallion charging after her.
Trixie watched the two run around with a faintly humored smirk. “Are they always like this?” she asked.
Tormod sighed with exasperation. “They are. I often wonder if they ever intend to grow up, but I’m afraid that if they did, the world would end.”
She chuckled as Wanderer jumped in vain for his hat. “It shows how close they are.”
Tormod nodded his agreement. “It does. I’m just glad they finally realized it after so long. I was beginning to think I was the one who would have to kick them in the flank to get them going.”
Trixie looked at her fellow unicorn for a moment. “What about you, Tormod? Do you have a special somepony?”
His smile faded some and he looked off into the trees. “No, nopony.” A soft sigh escaped through his nose. “I would like to find somepony—eventually—but with the adventuring and my research, there isn’t much time for dating.”
She nodded slowly—clearly relating. She looked back to see Tourmaline continuing her game of keepaway.
She pulled his hat away again as Wanderer’s teeth missed it by inches. “You’re getting slower, Wanderer,” Tourmaline said with a singsong voice.
“Land, and I’ll show you just how slow I am!” He galloped to keep up with the flying pegasus.
Her smile had no shortage of mischievousness in it. “Oh sure, so you could—” She stopped and looked away sharply.
He wasted no time in snatching the hat back from the distracted pegasus and put it snugly atop his head. “Ha! Got it! Now what are you…” He trailed off as he saw her expression, and the mirth vanished from his face. “What is it, Tourmaline?”
A flap of her wings took her higher and her head turned sharply as she scanned the trees. “There’s something…”
Tormod and Trixie caught up to them and instantly felt the difference in demeanor between the two.
“What is it?” Tormod asked, his eyes darting around for what set the two off.
“Is something wrong?” Trixie asked, slinking lower to the ground.
“Tourmaline?” Wanderer asked in a harsh whisper.
“The winds shifted,” she said, the concern in her voice caused the two males to look around in renewed concern.
Trixie looked between them, a knot of dread forming in her gut. “What is it?” She shivered, but it had nothing to do with the sudden chill in the air. “Trixie wants to know what that means.”
“It isn’t good,” Wanderer said.
Before he could speak more, the answer rolled in like stormy waves. A thick blanket of fog suddenly washed over them, obscuring their vision in all directions. The forest canopy vanished in a sheet of grey, and if it weren’t for the flapping of her wings, Trixie wouldn’t have known that Tourmaline hovered above them.
She scooted closer to the two stallions, unable to stop her shaking. While she had stayed in Greensborough, she learned early on about the folklore behind the fog. It was said that many of the dangerous monsters, both real and rumored, prowled under the cover of the thick cloud bank. While the two stallions were not shaking as much as she, she could feel their nervousness well enough.
“Can you clear the fog?” Tormod asked Tourmaline.
“I’ll try,” she said, her tone wavering.
Trixie watched as the pegasus fluttered her wings, but the fog only swirled with the wind currents—not thinning in the least.
Tourmaline bit her lip as she landed. “This fog isn’t listening to me. It won’t go anywhere I tell it.”
“W-What do we do?” Trixie asked, pulling her cape about her shoulders tightly.
Wanderer adjust his hat, his troubled frown still evident. “We keep going. It’s too early to stop.” He put on a bold grin, but Trixie knew it was for their benefit more than what he felt. “Besides, we knew this would happen sooner or later. If we stopped for every cloud bank we ran into, we wouldn’t get anywhere.”
“Won’t we get lost?” Trixie asked.
“Wanderer? Get lost?” Tourmaline quipped before he could answer.
His ears flattened but he otherwise ignored her. “We won’t get lost as long as we have our walking compass with us.”
Tormod snorted and a red aura surrounded his horn. “We were heading north by northwest. If we keep going that way,” —he pointed off into the fog-enshrouded trees— “We’ll still make good time.”
“All right, let’s go,” Wanderer said as he started away. “Keep together though. It will be easy to get separated in this fog.”
Wanderer took the lead while Tourmaline followed behind him. Trixie walked behind her as Tormod took up the rear. As they walked, none of the earlier conversation or playful banter returned. In its place was a watchful silence. Gazes turned and ears flicked at any sound. The birds still chirped overhead and the trees still groaned in the breeze that did nothing to dispel the fog.
Just as Trixie was about to try starting a conversation—anything was better than the worrisome quiet—something darted at the edge of her vision.
“What was—” she started before an aquamarine hoof stuffed itself over her muzzle.
“Quiet,” Tourmaline hissed. Her eyes darted to the woods then back. “You saw it too?” she asked in a whisper.
Trixie nodded and spat the taste of old leaves out of her mouth as Tourmaline lowered her hoof. “What was it?”
“Not sure.” She looked to Wanderer as he stood still, watching their surroundings closely. “Did you see it?”
He shook his head, glancing back at her. “No. Tormod?”
He shook his head as well.
Trixie’s gaze darted around frantically as she felt her heart pounding in her chest. “What could be out there? Trixie doesn’t—” she coughed as a disgusting odor reached her nose.
The other ponies stiffened as they caught wind of the smell as well.
“Oh, great.” Wanderer muttered darkly. He tugged his hat on tighter as he turned to watch the trees.
“What is it?!” Trixie demanded.
“Timberwolves,” Tourmaline spat, her harsh glare hardened at another movement in the fog.
Trixie felt that knot of fear grip tighter. “T-Timberwolves? We have to run before they eat us!”
Tormod shook his head. “They would catch us in this fog. We’ll have to fight.”
She looked at him in a near panic. “Fight? But they’re timberwolves, we can’t fight them.”
Wanderer gave her a reassuring smile. “We’ve fought them before, don’t worry. Everyone, stand back to back until they get closer. Then we’ll see how many we are dealing with.”
Trixie did as told, and the four stood with their backsides to each other. She could see the vague shapes of the wooden carnivores moving around. Her hackles rose as she heard a frustrated snarl as the pack realized their ambush was foiled.
The first wolf loped into view, its glowing eyes like a beacon in the dark fog. It took all of her willpower to not turn and flee as more appeared and circled them. She gasped at the sight of a wolf who stood head and shoulders above his pack mates.
“How many do you count, Tormod?” Wanderer asked, not taking his eyes off the wolves.
“Six, plus the alpha.”
“That’s all?” Tourmaline asked with some disappointment.
Trixie looked back at her and saw the pegasus’s smile was full of confidence.
Wanderer’s grin matched hers. “Standard thunder and lightning techniques?”
“Worked before,” Tourmaline said with a cocky grin.
“T-Thunder and l-lightning?” Trixie stammered out in confusion.
Wanderer’s eyes sparkled when he turned his head to regard her. “I crash into them like thunder and Tourmaline and Tormod rain attacks on them like lightning.” He looked to his friends, who both gave firm nods. “Stay close to Tormod, Trixie. Help out if you see a shot.
She stared at him dumbfounded, and she jumped as the wolves snarled a protest to their conversation.
Wanderer gave his hat a final tug. “Let’s do this!”
With a battlecry, he charged directly at the alpha wolf.
Thinking the pony was trying to flee, the wolves turned to cut him off.
“So predictable!” Tourmaline took off like a shot and the wolf she caught in the side didn’t have time to yelp before he burst into splinters.
Another wolf lunged at her, but a red beam struck it in the side—sending it tumbling away.
“Take that, you cur!” Tormod shouted before he blasted at another wolf as it tried to chase Wanderer.
The alpha wolf lunged at the charging earth pony, who slid under the wolf’s attack and bucked it full in the face as it whirled after him. The wolf howled as the blow half-unhinged his jaw.
Wanderer didn’t have time to enjoy his attack, as the other two wolves snapped at his fetlocks. He took off at a gallop with the two smaller timberwolves and their alpha chasing after him.
Trixie watched in amazement as the three battled the remaining wolves. Wanderer lead the three wolves on a merry chase, taunting them as he ran and bucked the ones that got too close. Tourmaline was quick enough to avoid the wolves that jumped for her, and she was even quicker to break apart any wolf that stumbled from Tormod’s magical barrage.
Trixie had seen nothing like it before. She had always thought the carnivores as creatures a pony had to run from to survive, but here these three showed her it was possible to fight back. Wanderer in particular seemed to be enjoying himself as he ran around with the increasingly frustrated wolves pursuing him.
A snarl had her whirling to see another wolf make its way through the fog after her.
“N-No!” she screamed and launched the first spell that came to mind. A bright explosion of light and sound went off between her and the wolf. It whined painfully, but kept running and lunged at her—its jaws open wide.
All she could see was the drooling fangs and felt the panic well up inside her. Vaguely, she heard one of the others cry out her name, but it was so far away.
“No…” she uttered, covering her head. “No!” Instinct kicked in and her horn surged. The wolf howled as the magical bolt tore through it, its blasted remains peppering her across her. She looked up to find the remaining wolves and her companions staring at her in shock.
“Focus!” Tourmaline shouted as she hit the closest wolf with a three-punch combo before kicking it away.
Wanderer whirled and punched the wolf closest to him as it turned its attention back on him. The wolf barely had time to yelp before it splintered into a pile of kindling.
Unfortunately, his attack left him open to the alpha wolf’s tackle. Wanderer got his foreleg up under the wolf’s chin as it snapped its fangs within an inch of his muzzle. The wolf tore deep grooves into the ground as Wanderer scrambled to avoid its claws.
“Get it off of me!” he yelled frantically as his limbs started to shake.
A red beam took the wolf in the side, but it took a shoulder rush from Tourmaline to finally knock it away.
“How many times do I have to keep saving you?” she asked as she helped him to his hooves.
“Glad to know you care.” He smiled back, and they turned to face the alpha as it got back to its feet. It quickly looked around and found that it was the only one of its pack left. The scattered remains of its pack littered the forest floor, neatly blending in with the natural debris.
With a snarl of hatred, it turned its eyes on the four ponies who stood defiantly in front of it.
“That’s right, you mutt, you messed with the wrong ponies,” Tourmaline taunted, her wings spread wide in anticipation.
With a howl, it charged to meet them.
A red bolt of magic caused it to stumble, and it turned its head back in time to hear Tourmaline yell a battlecry and kick it solidly in the face. Distracted by blinking lights, the wolf didn’t see Wanderer run up to it and buck with all of his strength. His kick landed at the wolf’s narrowest point on its torso and the alpha split in two.
Trixie watched in stunned disbelief as the wolf’s eyes lost their glow and the two halves fell apart like a foal’s building blocks.
She wasn’t the only one who let loose a breath they had been holding, though she was the only one who didn’t sport a victorious smile.
“Ha! Didn’t stand a chance!” Wanderer cheered, pumping his foreleg in victory.
Tourmaline brushed her mane out of her eyes and smiled. “They actually put up a good fight.”
Tormod shuddered as he allowed himself to relax. “We did well, though we can’t let slipups happen again.” He looked pointedly at Wanderer before he looked at Trixie. “Are you okay?”
Trixie’s legs still trembled. “Trixie is… okay. She was just…” She trailed off, looking away.
“Scared?” Wanderer supplied.
She stiffened and turned her nose up at him. “The Great and Powerful Trixie was never scared.”
“Sure she wasn’t,” Tourmaline snarked, giving her a glare.
Trixie returned the look. “Trixie was nervous. There is a difference.”
Before Tourmaline could retort, Tormod stepped between them. “That’s enough, Tourmaline. The wolves are down and we don’t need any more fighting.”
Wanderer headed off her next reply. “What was that magic attack you used, Trixie? It was amazing.”
Trixie couldn’t help but smile with pride. “Trixie is full of amazing tricks. That is why she—” She squeaked in fright, hopping an impressive height into the air, as something brushed against her leg.
“What in Equestria…” Tormod breathed as the twig that had touched Trixie was only one of many branches that started moving on their own.
“Are they reforming already?” Tourmaline gasped as she hovered above them.
“It can’t be. It hasn’t been long enough.” Wanderer swore and backed away as the branches collected around the fallen alpha wolf.
All four of them scrambled away as the fallen timber slowly reformed into a single wolf. It easily stood three or four times taller than it had before. When it fully formed, its intake of breath heralded the return of the malevolent glow to its eyes. The massive wolf looked down at the fearful ponies, and it opened jaws large enough to easily bite a pony in half with a single chomp.
“A-Are they supposed to do that?” Wanderer asked, quickly sharing a look with the others.
Tormod backed away, his eyes wide. “I… never heard of this.”
“What do we do?” Trixie asked—her legs felt like jelly, and she squeaked as the wolf took a step towards them.
“Can we fight it?”
Tormod looked at his sister as if she were mad. “Be our guest.”
“We can’t fight it. I’ll have to lead it away.”
The three looked at Wanderer in surprise.
He glanced back at them. “It’s the only way. I’m the fastest on land, so if I lead him off, you three can get away.”
“Wanderer, no!” I’m not letting you do that!” Tourmaline protested.
The wolf snarled, sappy drool escaping its muzzle and coating the leaves below.
“Just do it, Tourmaline!” Wanderer snapped. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll catch up.” He gave her his trademark lopsided grin. “Trust me.”
Her ears pinned back, her voice cracking. “But…”
Not waiting for her protest, he lowered his head and charged at the monstrous wolf. “Come on, pup. See if you can—” He didn’t have time to react as the wolf’s paw lashed out and sent him tumbling back at them with a pained grunt.
“Wanderer!” Tourmaline screeched as she watched him bounce away. Her eyes blazed with rage as she looked back at the wolf. “You!” She took off in a burst of speed and a battlecry. She dodged the wolf’s first swipe and kicked it across the muzzle. A single bit of bark slid off its face but had nothing else to show for her effort. So held by shock she didn’t see the second swipe until it swatted her out of the air—directly at Tormod.
He barely had time to shout before his sister crashed into him and sent the two tumbling away.
Trixie stared in horror at the three squirming adventurers before she turned back to see the wolf towering over her. She screamed and scrambled backwards, tearing up fallen leaves in her fear. The wolf kept with her until she felt herself run into something. She looked back fearfully at the tree that had stopped her retreat then back at the wolf to find it mere inches from her face. It took everything she had not to retch in disgust at the thing’s breath. She whimpered as the wolf sniffed at her. With a final sniff of its prey, the wolf lifted its muzzle in a howl of victory.
That howl was interrupted by a loud groan. The wolf blinked in surprise as a massive creature crashed into its side.
Trixie could only stare dumbfounded as the two creatures battled. The new creatures was a monster she had never seen before. It stood on four treelike legs, all attached to a larger torso. It had two hulking arms, that reminded her of a diamond dog’s, though they ended in odd rootlike appendages that slammed repeatedly into the monstrous timberwolf.
Whenever the wolf would bite into the bark-like skin, a yellow sap would ooze through the wound; though the wolf never found purchase for long before the creature broke its hold and slugged it again.
“It’s him! It’s actually him!” she heard Tourmaline yell, unable to tear her eyes from the battle.
Finally, the wolf bit hard into one of the tree creature’s legs. Its groan of pain sounded like a tree bending in gale force winds. With a grunt, it brought its arm sharply down on the wolf’s neck. A deafening snap echoed around the forest as the wolf’s head separated from its neck. While the body crumbled apart, the head remained attached to the leg until the creature smashed the head against a nearby tree, causing it to splinter apart.
Trixie wasn’t sure what to think about this new monster. Was it going to eat them now? She was about to run before she heard Wanderer cheer.
“It’s you!” He limped towards the creature, completely unafraid. His friends were not long behind him. “We hoped to see you again.”
She watched him in utter disbelief. “Wha-huh? Wanderer! What do we do? It will kill us!”
He looked back at her in shock. “No, he’s a friend! Don’t be scared, Trixie. He won’t hurt us.”
“A-A friend?!” She looked at the creature as it looked down at her. She saw that its torso was much like the trunk of a tree. The difference was that two sets of sap-yellow eyes, a long gnarled nose, and the large beard of moss that covered most of the torso.
She gulped audibly. “Y-You’re sure it won’t hurt us?”
Tourmaline shook her head, a wide happy smile on her face. “No, he was the one who saved us when we were foals.” She furrowed her brow. “Didn’t we tell you about the tree spider?”
Trixie studied the creature and felt the name was only partially fitting. Its torso grew vertically rather than horizontally like every other spider she knew of. “T-This is your tree spider?”
Tormod smiled and nodded. “Yes it is.” He looked up at the creature. “It’s so good to see you again.”
It looked down at them but made no other sound.
“Can it talk?” Trixie asked as she walked closer to the three.
Tormod tilted his head. “I don’t think it ever has.” His eyes looked over the creature. “I don’t see a mouth or anything.”
“Then how did it—” Trixie yelped as she saw the remains of the timberwolf start to move again.
“Oh no, not again!” Tourmaline cried in despair as she flapped her wings to get higher off the ground.
The tree creature stomped into the mass of timberwolf, and a green mist rose. Its beard bristled and shook as the green mist was absorbed into the leafy growth. Once the mist was gone, the remains of the timberwolf settled and never rose again.
“What in the—” Wanderer uttered before the four watched the wounds the creature had received healed themselves with a green glow.
“Fascinating!” Tormod breathed and peered at the healed leg. “How does it do that?”
Tourmaline landed next to Wanderer as she spoke. “So what do we do?”
He smiled and looked at Trixie. “How’s that for your show?”
She gave a weak smile as she gazed at the massive thing. “If she showed him off, nopony would call her a liar again.”
“Maybe,” Tourmaline said with a frown. “But we can’t do that to him. Not after everything he’s done for us.”
Trixie gave a small, helpless chuckle. “Not that Trixie could force him even if she tried.”
They jumped as the creature turned towards a tree. It rested one of its arms on the rough bark of the oak and pointed at Wanderer with the other.
His eyes widened and pointed at himself. “Me?”
The creature stared at him, not moving.
Wanderer stared at it hopelessly before turning to the others. “What’s he wanting?”
They looked at him with looks of similar confusion.
“I don’t know,” Tormod said, rubbing at his chin.
The leaves of the tree rustled as the creature again pushed against it and pointed at Wanderer.
Wanderer clenched his jaw in worry as he looked between the creature and his friends. “I don’t understand.”
“I think…” The three of them turned to look at Trixie as she spoke. “It’s wanting you to touch the tree, Wanderer.”
He looked between her and the creature as it stubbornly pointed at him again. “You think so?”
She stood a bit straighter and nodded. “Trixie is sure of it.”
“It makes sense,” Tormod said, turning back to Wanderer. “There is no harm in trying.”
Wanderer looked between them for a moment before puffing up his chest. “You’re right. I’ve got this.”
He walked towards the tree with a resolute step in his stride. As he reached out to touch the tree, his hoof wavered a bit. He looked up at the towering creature one more time. It stared down at him expectantly before its torso leaned forward a bit—which Trixie guessed what must have passed for a nod.
With a final intake of breath, Wanderer rested his hoof on the tree and instantly jerked it back with a surprised shout.
“What is it?” Tourmaline demanded, her wings still unfurled from her shock.
“I… don’t know.” He looked back at the creature as it looked down at him. He chuckled sheepishly. “Heh, sorry. He rested his hoof back on the tree.
After a moment, he turned back to his friends, his eyes wide and his smile just as wide. “Guys, it’s him! He’s talking to me through the tree.”
Tormod blinked slowly. “Talking to you… through the tree?”
Tourmaline looked at her brother before turning back to Wanderer. “What do you mean?”
He motioned them over. “Touch the tree. He’ll talk to you.”
Tormod wasted no time in placing his own hoof on the tree, Tourmaline soon followed suit. Trixie, however, held back—still watching the creature with worried eyes.
“Come on, Trixie,” Wanderer called. “He won’t hurt you.”
She gulped. “You’re sure?”
“As sure as we’ve got cutie marks. Come on.”
With a sigh, she walked towards the tree. She cast quick glances at the monster, and her legs weakened as it stared down at her. Feeling a bit more confident next to her companions, she placed a hoof on the tree next to theirs. The bark was rough to the touch, but when she closed her eyes to listen, she was met with only the natural ambients of the forest.
“...I don’t hear anything,” Tourmaline said after an awkward moment.
Wanderer looked at them in surprise. “You didn’t hear him just now?”
Trixie shook her head, mirroring the other’s replies.
Wanderer frowned. “Why—?” He looked up sharply at the tree creature. “They do?”
The monster shifted its weight but otherwise made no sound.
“Oh…” He looked back at the three with a faint blush. “He said you all have to put a hoof on me. He said that he could talk to you through me.”
A pensive frown crossed Tormod’s face. “Why you?”
Wanderer looked back at the creature for a second before looking back. “He said it has to do with my connection to the earth.”
“Earth pony magic?” Trixie asked, blinking.
He shrugged helplessly. “I guess. I don’t really understand.” He cleared his throat. “He said he has to talk to us, so… he says to hurry.”
Sighing, Tormod rested a hoof on his friend’s shoulder. Tourmaline flapped over and rested a hoof on his withers.
Wanderer turned a coy smile her way. “Keep your hooves where they’re supposed to be, Tourmaline.”
Her faced turned a bright red for a second before she whapped him upside the head. “Jerk.”
He chuckled despite the deserved slap, and turned to look at Trixie. “You too, Trixie. He said he wanted to talk to you as well.”
Trixie felt her own blush creep on her cheeks. “Trixie is not comfortable with this.”
“Just touch my shoulder. It’ll be fine.”
Still blushing, she rested her hoof on his shoulder gingerly. The moment she did, she heard a deep, sagacious voice speak in her mind.
‘Greetings.’
Tormod’s eyes lit up with wonder. “He can speak.”
“I told you so.” Wanderer’s smugness was almost thick enough to smother them. “This is so cool.”
‘It is good you younglings have returned to the forest.’
“We’re… glad to be back,” Tourmaline said as she finally tore her scathing glare off of Trixie.
“What are you?” Trixie asked breathlessly, staring up at it with no small amount of awe.
‘I am a guardian. One of many who protect our Mother and her forest from those who would do it harm.’
Tormod looked towards the eyes of the guardian. “Why are you talking to us now, and not when we first met you?”
‘Because the forest needs its children in its time of need.’
“Children?” Tourmaline asked with a tilt of her head.
“Time of need?” Wanderer added.
‘Those born under the watch of the Mother’s forest are part of it. She has also accepted the two of you when you came to dwell under her branches. But you...’
Trixie started as she felt the creature turn its attention on her. “Me?”
‘You were not born under the Mother, nor has she accepted you. Why are you here?’
“We invited her with us,” Wanderer said before she or Tourmaline could speak. “Trixie is a trustworthy pony and a friend of ours. You can trust her.”
All three of them stared at him.
‘You speak for her?’
Wanderer’s ears pinned back. “Well, I don’t speak for her, but I will say she is a good pony.”
Trixie bit her lip. “Wanderer—”
‘Do you feel his trust is misplaced?’
Trixie stopped at the question. Her mind reeled with all the conflicting emotions before she puffed up her chest. “Trixie is the Great and Trustworthy!”
Tourmaline facehooved.
‘Very well. You must continue on your journey to the Mother. She needs her children in her time of need. A great plague is coming and it must be stopped before it can start.’
“A plague?” Tormod asked, his voice dropping at the word.
‘Find the Mother’s chosen children. They will help you understand.’
“Chosen children?” Wanderer echoed.
‘Remember this saying: “E uv u kqetl im cqa mizabc.” It will save your life.’
The guardian had them repeat the line numerous times until he was satisfied they had it right.
Wanderer stuck his tongue out. “Think I bit my tongue…”
“What language is that?” Tormod asked the guardian as the wind caused its beard to sway.
‘It is the language of the chosen children. Speak this and they will know you as friend.’
Tourmaline flapped her wings, letting out some of the building nervousness. “What does it mean?”
‘It means you are a friend of the forest.’
Before the others could ask it another question, the creature looked off to the side as a low groan was heard in the distance.
‘I must go. I have already strayed into another guardian’s range and I must return to my own.’
Trixie followed its gaze. “It won’t harm us, will it?”
‘No. you have been marked by forest and the guardians will let you pass unhindered.’ It shifted its weight and addressed them a final time. ‘Continue your journey and you will find what you are seeking. It was good to see you again, younglings. Walk under the Mother’s care.’
With that, the creature removed its arm from the tree and Trixie could not longer feel the connection through Wanderer. She let her hoof rest on the ground and watched the massive tree creature disappear into the fog.
“I can’t believe it. All this time and that was how we could have talked with him. Wanderer’s natural earth pony magic serves as a connection to the earth and to plants itself.” Tormod paused and rubbed at his chin. “I wonder what else it could do.”
Tourmaline smirked. “It reminds me of those cans on a string we used, only Wanderer is the string.”
While the earth pony didn’t respond verbally, the flattening of his ears and irritable swish of his tail said he had heard her.
Trixie tilted her head at the unusually quiet pony. “Wanderer?”
He finally turned back to look at them, his eyes practically sparkling and his grin as wide as Trixie had ever seen it.
“Guys, do you know what this means?”
While the two unicorns looked lost, Tourmaline matched his smile. “Adventure?”
“Exactly!” He practically shook. “This is the adventure we’ve needed to get our names in the history books! If we save the Forest of the Oak and find a lost group of ponies, historians will trip over themselves to get our story.” He then turned his smile to Trixie. “And Trixie will be there to see it and share it with all of Equestria.”
Trixie felt herself flinch at his proclamation but couldn’t find the words to disagree with him. It all seemed some outlandish story told by fantasy writers, but if it worked like he said, her own career would surely skyrocket.
Looking at him and the excitement he instilled into his friends, she found herself growing confident herself. She knew now that she had made the right choice.
-0-
The door to his home swung open as the knob turned. It was well into the night, so he wasn’t surprised to find the lights had been turned off.
Rogue tossed his bag on the table with a tired sigh as he walked into his kitchen. Another hard day at the office—and the constant complaints and fears of Greensborough’s populace—convinced him that a cold cider was in order.
He opened the ice chest, grabbed one of the bottles from within, and took a hearty drink. Smacking his lips at the brew’s apple flavor, he finished the bottle with another deep pull before grabbing a second bottle. He turned to take a seat at the table and used the magic of a glowing crystal to look over his notes for the day.
Seven more disappearances, one of which was Stone Hoof, one of his foalhood friends—and no clue as to where they had gone. Everyday it seemed more ponies came to his office and demanded that he do something about the disappearances.
He sighed as he looked over the names of those missing. There were so many, he thought. At first he had brushed the first few as ponies leaving on business or family matters, but when Old Nut vanished, he knew he had something else on his hooves.
At least that troublesome Lulamoon had left. The guards had seen her follow Wanderer and his little group into the trees a week ago, and good riddance to them. It really had nothing to do with their old vendettas from their youth, but everything to do with the knowledge that they were troublemakers.
He snorted to himself—maybe it did have a little to do with it.
After a while, he leaned back in his chair, the wood groaning with his weight. As much as he didn’t want to, he was going to have to have the Equestrian Guard do a house-to-house search. It was the fastest way to make sure they were not being hidden in his town.
“Tomorrow though,” he said to himself.
He finished off the last of his cider and let the glow of the crystal fade. He made his way through the darkness of his home. As he climbed the stairs, he smiled to himself as he imagined curling up next to his wife. It there was one pony who could make him smile, it was Scarlet Scroll. Though she projected an aloof air about her, he knew it was how she dealt with others. He remembered the day he brought the real her out of her shell, and her smiled had pierced his heart as easily as a spear.
He pushed open the door to their bedroom and realized right away that something was missing.
“Scarlet?”
The bed was still neatly made and it looked like no one had ever been there.
“Scarlet, where are you?” He moved for the master bathroom to find it empty. He felt the panic rise up in his chest when he noticed an overturned plant. The pot had been shattered and the dirt spread across the tiled floor.
“No. What could’ve—” He felt somepony grab him from behind and press a cloth to his muzzle. He struggled to tear his face away from his attacker, but they held him strongly. He pumped his legs and smashed his attacker into the wall, but still they stubbornly refused to move. He slapped and grabbed at the forelegs that held him, when he noticed the cloth had an odd odor to it. The sickenly sweet smell, it was so sickening… yet… comforting.
His thrashing grew weaker as the smell seemed to become the only focus he had, and he felt himself being lowered to the floor.
“The Mistress has need of you.” were the last words he heard before he fell into a deep darkness.
-0-
It had been a long day. Between the fight with the timberwolves and the realization that she was on an adventure much grander than she had ever expected, Trixie felt she deserved her sleep. The moment they had set camp, she made it clear that she was going to turn in early. After finding that she would have third watch, she had settled in her tent to ready for bed.
She sat on her bedroll, using her magic to move the brush through the tangles and rats of her silvery mane. Her mind wandered as she went through her nightly routine, again thinking of what she had seen. The tree guardian had said the forest needed her and her companions to avoid a plague, but what sort of plague? How were a magician and a small band of adventurers supposed to stop a plague? Wouldn’t the princesses be a better choice for this task? Maybe Twilight Sparkle and her band of friends should be the ones to save Equestria… again.
Her thoughts were interrupted as her tent flap lifted, and she turned to see Tourmaline let herself in. One look at the pegasus’s expression and Trixie felt their hair along her neck stand on end.
She cleared her throat. “Tourmaline, it would be polite if you would kn—”
“There’s something I want to say to you,” she interrupted. “And I want you to listen to me, and listen good.”
The harshness in her tone had Trixie setting aside her brush and turning to face Tourmaline fully, crossing her forelegs. “Trixie is listening.”
Tourmaline seemed to struggle for the right words to say before huffing. “Look, I don’t know why Wanderer is so interested in helping you—and I’m sure he has a good reason—but I won’t stand for anypony who puts him in danger like you did.”
Trixie bristled. “If this is about the timberwolves. Trixie didn’t mean—”
“And that is the problem. You didn’t mean to do it, which tells me you were not thinking. Your flashy show almost got Wanderer killed.”
“Trixie didn’t—”
“Will you shut up and let me speak?” Tourmaline snapped at her.
Trixie leaned away from the pegasus, shaking at the rage she saw in Tourmaline’s violet eyes. Her earlier irritation and defiance melted away.
“This started out as a light-hearted adventure that we could’ve handled easily, but now it has turned into something far more dangerous. I don’t know what is going to happen, and I’m scared for my brother and Wanderer. You’re with us on this trip and there’s nothing that can be done about it.”
The pegasus took a calming breath, though she still glared at Trixie.
“But I’ll tell you this.” She leaned closer, only a few inches separating their muzzles as Tourmaline’s glare burned figurative holes in Trixie’s. “If you ever do anything to endanger Wanderer and my brother gain, your show will be the last of your worries.”
Trixie held very still. Looking at Tourmaline, Trixie knew she meant every word.
“Do you understand me?”
Trixie gave the faintest of nods. “Trixie understands.”
“Good,” Tourmaline said, whirling back for the tent’s exit. She paused there for a moment before speaking again. “We have a ways to go yet, better get some sleep.”
Trixie breathed in relief as the pegasus left, her shoulders slumping as the nervous energy left her. The way Tourmaline spoke, she knew that she was more worried about her friends than herself. That did little to alleviate her worry, and sleep didn’t come easily that night.
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Well thou sayest that the number of comments thy fic possesseth numbereth four, but methinks the two posted by thee count not. Regardless, I shall have a look at the first few chapters and relate to thee my thoughts.
6438819 Thank you! Hope you stick around to read the rest of it.
6438467 Looking forward to it.
To begin with, I am unfamiliar with the previous story and as such a few elements escaped me. However, there are a few items to address that are applicable regardless of my knowledge of the series.
1. Thy prose is generally strong, but a number of instances stand out due to repetition of words and/or sentence structure. This can be fixed through careful pre-reading and editing.
2. A few of the conflicts feel manufactured, but the most obvious one came when Trixie performed in Trottingham. I find it wholly unbelievable that she would tell the tale of the Ursa Major again after the disaster in Ponyville. The last time she did such the entire ordeal exploded in her face and ended in humiliation, and 'tis likely she would shelf that particular story. Mayhaps if thou changest the beast's species the scene would be easier to swallow, but as 'tis, I have a difficult time going with it.
Other than those two items, I enjoyed my time with this story.
I finally got around to starting this story, and I have to say I am thoroughly impressed. Your grammar is near perfect, your spelling is all in line, and your word choice fits the dialogue and/or actions it pertains to. However, I do have some things I want to discuss with you.
On a side note, terms or phrases that I believe are important to grasp will be bolded without italics.
First off, like we discussed before, you would benefit from shortening the chapter lengths using the methods I gave to you. This is most apparent in Chapter 3. Though it was a well thought out and well written chapter, I found myself starting to grow tired of reading it about half way through. Like I mentioned in the forum post, the utter length of the chapter started picking away at my attention span. It soon came to the point where I was hoping for the chapter to end soon, as my mind needed a little bit of time to process all the content presented to it. This was made impossible by the continuous need to read on to get the closure my mind needed.
Secondly, there are some sections of the story that seem confusing, misplaced, or irrelevant. For example, the fact that Trixie somehow managed to get to Greensborough in just a couple days. Unless I missed something important, it took Trixie all but three or so days and change to make it there, even when it mutually agreed upon by both her and the guard that it would take at least a week, which, for the purpose of giving the benefit of the doubt to you, was a decision made by also taking into consideration that she (Trixie) is hauling around a big cart all day, every day.
In extension of this thought, I do have to agree with Princess of Edits on the conflict of the Ursa Major performance. Even though it has definitely been some years since the fateful event which destroyed Trixie's reputation, it is still a shameful one that I doubt even some pony as arrogant and egocentric as she would even dare to bring up again. There are many other ways you could get Trixie shamed and booed out of a town that, given the variety of ideas present throughout the story, I am sure you will have no problem imagining up.
Last thing I want to mention before I stop grilling you. Though this story has a lot of great high points, it also suffers from some rather disappointing low plateaus as well. A lot of parts seem to be added in just for filler and length, which I mentioned in my forum post to you is a big No-No. For example, the scene with Fluttershy and Tormod walking to the Library. Fluttershy is completely inconsequential to that whole scene. In fact, I remembered that she was there, but had wondered what had happened to her when the dialogue kept going between only Twilight and Tormod. I kept looking back to see if I had missed something stating that she had left, but to no avail. I was answered by the last line where Fluttershy kind of snuck away, and I felt somewhat disappointed. Don't put a character front and center (you did this by having her state her motive to give Twilight fruit, which gave her some semblance of purpose to the scene) just to shove them into the background not even 200 words later. It just looks like you were trying to create something to fill empty space that you had no other ideas on how to use.
Aside from these major points, I am thoroughly enjoying this story so far. Like I stated before, it is well-written, and am highly anticipating reading the last two chapters you have out so far, and the future ones to come.
If I were to give this story a rating at it's current stage, I would give it a strong 7.5.
It was an honor to read and review this story, and I am itching to continue on the already wild ride through regret, consolation, and redemption.
P.S. Not gonna lie, I was holding out until Wanderer said that Chewie had waited for him, to see his face one last time before he passed away. At that point, I would by lying if I said I didn't want to pop you one right in the kisser. You can't give me feels like that man!
